ITC – Instructor Training Course

Information about the instructor training course

Do you love kitesurfing and want to change your lifestyle? Qualify as an IKO international kitesurfing instructor and work on the most beautiful beaches around the world.

The IKO instructor qualification is truly international, recognized across the world and enables you to teach straightaway. Become an IKO certified kitesurfing instructor, travel around the world, earn additional income and turn your passion into a job.

Steps – ITC – Instructor Training Course

Step 1 – First Aid

Step 2 – AITC Plus

Step 3 – ITC

Step 1.

First Aid/CPR MFA Training

This course is not necessary if you already have a current first Aid/CPR MFA certification! Please bring the certification to the course and notify the organizer.

Step 2.

AITC Plus- Assistant Instructor Training Course

5 days – Before attending to the ITC you will do the Assistant Instructor Training Course. In order to receive your diploma you will enroll to a 5 days training course carried out by qualified level 2 IKO Instructor. The course is preparing you to your future employment as an IKO Instructor. Read more on IKO’s website, ”become an assistant instructor“.

Step 3.

ITC – Instructor Training Course

5 days – IKO offers a reliable and professional training program. Instructors become IKO certified by attending the 5 days ITC – Instructor Training Course. The training program corresponds precisely to kiteboarding teaching methods. The certification is recognized as the international standard in teaching. The five day course is the main course and last step for you becoming a certified kitesurfing instructor. Read more on IKO’s website, “become an level 1 instructor”

A maximum of eight (8) ITC candidates are allowed per ITC, or ten (10) Candidates if at least two (2) are IEC Candidates.

Prerequisites to join the ITC

Do you have all the prerequisites needed to join the ITC – Instructor Training Course?

Be at least 18 years old.

Be a certified IKO Kiteboarder/Snowkiter level 3N with the ability of jumping and grab, and toe side riding upwind, board recovery in deep water, rider recovery body dragging, able to make a self-rescue in deep water, self-launching and self-landing (evaluated during ITC).

Have an IKO Assistant Instructor certification.

Have a valid First Aid and CPR certificate or complete it before the ITC with the IKO Examiner running the course.

Pass the online “Pre-ITC course” with a minimum score of 70%.

Must be able to read, write and speak fluently in the language the course is given.

Where is the course taking place?

At Habo Ljung kite beach, 20 minutes drive north of Malmö! If you want to stay on the spot where the ITC is contact Habo Ljung camping. Close to Malmö and Lund there are hostels and hotels. In addition, local service is available to and from Habo Ljung kite beach.

– I decided to become an Examiner because of my passion to teach to others the exhilarating art of kitesurfing! Furthermore, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. As a result of February 2015 I have trained and certified around 250 kitesurfing instructors. To summarize, I hope in ten years that number will be 2,500! Therefore, having been living in Thailand for the last ten years I always enjoy returning home to Scandinavia and run a couple of courses there.

IKO and Kitelife have built a strong relationship over the last years and we have had very successful courses at Habo Ljung. The spot at Habo Ljung is really world class. Shallow, flat water with a dedicated teaching area and consistent wind let’s us enjoy the best of kiting. Our professional classroom where we spend time studying kite-theory, lesson plans, teaching psychology and much more is located at the nearby golf club. They offer a great lunch and tasty coffee!

As a kitesurfing instructor there are plenty of work available all around the world. I don’t know any other profession where you can basically travel to any kitesurfing location and by tomorrow morning have a job to go to. It must be the best way to travel and explore our planet! Kitesurfing instructor work on a commission base most places around the globe. Certain countries (Australia for example) pay a higher hourly salary, but at the same time you have higher cost of living. I guess the average salary for a kitesurfing instructor working in Asia is around 30 euro an hour. In western countries this number will be higher. I would highly recommend any person to travel and teach kitesurfing before settling down. Greetings, Jens Nerbring

IKO Instructor – Karol Machata

The certified IKO instructor Karol Machata was joining an Instructor Training Course with Kitelife the summer of 2013. For this reason, he has been working for the IKO kitesurfing school Kitelife for two seasons. As a result, he passed the course with the highest recommendations from the examiner.

Interview with Karol Machata

For what reason have you educated yourself to a kitesurfing instructor?
The opportunity to work during the summer months with my favorite sport. Also, it’s a great job and fantastic to be outdoors and meet people. Finally, a major advantage is the opportunity to work abroad on IKO certified kite schools around the world.

What is the fascination with the profession as a kitesurfing instructor?
It is a free, varied and independent work, grateful to find work with my own hobby. Furthermore, participants who want to learn the sport is committed and motivated. As a result, I have a lot of time to kitesurf myself.

What do you think about ITC-course?
The examiner Jens Nerbring is very calm, methodical and delivers high quality with each participant. In fact, it was fun to meet other participants from different countries on the course. As well, I think that First Aid training was good, it made me feel safer if something happens unexpectedly during a course.

What are your thoughts about the theoretical part in the ITC course?
It’s pretty much theory, I did not have the knowledge before, very logically, good to have knowledge when I educate my participants. As a result, I feel more confident as an instructor with the knowledge from the theoretical part. In addition to this, I get a lot of trust and respect from the participants as an instructor which increase my self-confidence.

Has the instructor course made you to a better instructor?
ITC course has been very good, it’s a well-planned course with high quality. The most important thing I bring with me from the course is the safety area, to feel safe about what should be done in a critical situation. Without instructor course I think I would make many mistakes which can lead to reduced safety for the participants.

How many students have you trained?
I train from 50-90 participants per season. Furthermore, I think it is important that all participants’ is satisfied with the course. Finally, I want to make all participants feel safe and secure. Each step of the course will lead to the next should feel easy.

What do participants think about you as an instructor?
I am calm and making the participants to feel secure. As a result, to make the course a success I am very ambitious to carry it out with a high security.

What do you think about the place of education Habo Ljung Kite Beach?
It is a great spot with ideal conditions for the sport. As a matter of fact, It’s shallow, flat water and constant winds blowing. All kitesurfers fit and show great respect towards each other. As a result, it’s a perfect place to run the ITC course on.

What are the opportunities for newly educated IKO-instructor?
There are great opportunities to work as an instructor around the world. To tell you the truth, there are kitesurfing centers in need for educated IKO instructors. With this in mind it’s great to be able to go away a few months a year and work as a kite instructor. Alternatively a great opportunity to start your own business and run your own kite surfing school.

Organiser – Peter Rosenqvist

For the fourth year Kitelife is organizing an ITC – Instructor Training Course. Moreover, your contact person is Peter Rosenqvist that is an IKO certified level 3 instructor. For the purpose of high quality on the ITC – Instructor Training Course we choose one of the very best flat water spots called Habo Ljung Kite Beach north of Malmö in Sweden. Therefore, this is the spot were the participants are going to be most of the time. In addition, the theory lesson is held at a conference center a short distance from the kite beach. Finally, Peter is answering your questions and helping you out to have the best course possible.

Career

Your future as an instructor!

You decided to give it a shot to work barefoot on the beach as an kitesurfing instructor. Initially, the first thing you have to do is to sign up on an ITC (instructor training course) at an IKO certified kitesurfing school. Finally, it’s relevant is to look at IKO’s webpage were the ITC courses are running.

Can I get a job as an instructor?

There are at this moment many jobs for you as an certified kitesurfing instructor. At kite centers in South Africa, Thailand, Carribbean, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Australia, Egypt, USA and many more places you can find work as an kitesurfing instructor. Furthermore, as a certified kite instructor you can work all around the world. Also, at some kite centers the accomodation is arranged for you. Finally, you might even have the plane ticket paid to the destination. Contact IKO certified kite centers in countries that you are interested to work in.

Accomodation

There are many choices on accomodation during your stay at the ITC course. Therefore, if you’re on a budget you can choose Habo Ljung camping and stay on the kitespot. Rather sleep in a bed? If you want a bed to sleep in you can choose one of the many hotels in Malmö and Lund. Noteworthy, there are also hostels to chose from if you want to save some money.

Habo Ljung Camping

First of all, the location of the Instructor Training Course (ITC) is on one of the most popular kitesurfing spots in Sweden, Habo Ljung Kite Beach. On this spot is a camping called Habo Ljung camping – www.haboljungcamping.se. Also, it’s very convenient and cheap for you to live in your surfbuss, tent or caravan during the course.

Hotels in Lund and Malmö

Consequently, have a look at the link and choose quality accommodation from many stars to less. Commute with a car or take the bus nr. 132 to Habo Ljung Ljunghuset.